Covid-19 proves childcare in the US is broken – can it be fixed? - The Guardian
By Bobbi Dempsey
Years ago, when our three children were small, my husband and I were caught in a catch-22 familiar to many working-class families. Our kids had serious medical issues, but we couldn’t afford the treatment they needed; my husband’s employer only provided insurance for the employee, not their family. I found a job that provided minimal health insurance, but the cost of daycare for three kids was way more than the job paid.
The sky-high daycare bill meant I would actually lose money by going to work. I took the job anyway, because we desperately needed the insurance.
Twenty years later, in the middle of a pandemic, things have only gotten worse for working parents, as the cost of childcare has soared. Childcare has become increasingly unaffordable for parents who work minimum-wage jobs, or have to care for several kids. Kristina Molina, a mother of four living in Oakland, California, says arranging childcare sometimes costs more than she earns in a month at her county administrative job.
“There have been times when 100% of my income is going to childcare,” Molina says. “For parents raising the next generation, it’s a huge financial burden. We can never save for a rainy day.”